Method and System for Pouring Consecutive Separating Sections of Concrete Structures

ABSTRACT

A device and method for pouring consecutive concrete sections. The inventive device and method preferably include a barrier used to separate adjacent concrete slabs. This barrier is preferably erected in such a way that it allows a construction crew to continuously pour concrete in successive sections of a concrete structure, which prior to the current invention, could not be poured continuously. Previously, concrete sections were poured in an alternating fashion in order to create an expansion joint between each section of concrete which also acts to break the bond between each concrete section. However, the current inventive method and device allows the crew to pour adjacent concrete sections while still creating a joint between each concrete section. Each concrete section barrier preferably includes an upright surface and dowel sleeves. Prior to pouring concrete into each designated gap dowel bars are inserted into each dowel sleeve.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This non-provisional patent application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/016,412, filed on Sep. 3, 2013, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/787,487. The original application was filed on Mar. 6, 2013. All applications list the same inventors.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable

MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to the field of roadway construction. More specifically, the present invention comprises a device and method for separating sections of concrete fir multiple structures.

2. Description of the Related Art

Governing bodies, such as the department of transportation for states and other territories, have rules and regulations which must be followed when erecting structures associated with walking paths and roadways. These restrictions pertain to roads, sidewalks, retaining, gravity and barrier walls, junction and/or moment slabs and other structures that are constructed using concrete. Although these restrictions are enforced with public safety and structural integrity in mind, the regulations create inefficiencies during construction.

One of the main restrictions mandated by most governing bodies for construction of retaining walls, gravity walls, barrier walls, and junction slabs is that each structure must have concrete poured in separate sections of a specified length. The separate sections of concrete create joints along the length of the structure. These joints allow for expansion, contraction, bond breaks, and movement of each individual section of concrete, thereby decreasing the likelihood of cracking and other complications. In addition, sonic structures require an interlocking joint comprising a mortise and tenon wherein each concrete section is not bonded together.

In the case of junction and moment slabs, the expansion joint (also known as the “bond break” joint) is typically created using a piece of lumber with a relatively small thickness to create a temporary form. The current process used to create an array of junction and moment slabs requires the construction team to measure out each section of concrete to be poured. However, due to the requirement of an expansion joint, whereby each section must not be bonded together, the sections are poured in an alternating fashion. Typically, a first section is poured, then a space which is equal to the length of a section is left vacant. Next, concrete is poured adjacent to the open space for a section, and so on down the line of junction/moment slabs. Once the first sections of concrete slabs have dried and cured, the vacant sections can be filled with concrete (this is typically done the day after the first concrete sections are poured). Thus, the adjacent concrete sections are prevented from bonding together, and the required expansion joint is formed between each section of concrete. In addition, dowel bars are inserted at regular intervals along the length of each piece of lumber. The hole for each dowel bar must be measured and drilled prior to pouring concrete.

Therefore, what is needed is a device and method which allows a construction team to continuously pour isolated sections of concrete during the fabrication of an array of junction or moment slabs. The present invention achieves this objective, as well as others that are explained in the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a device and method for pouring consecutive concrete sections which are disjoint. The present invention includes the required bond breaks, which prevent the adjacent concrete slabs from bonding to each other. This joint is referred to throughout the following disclosure as an expansion joint or bond breaking joint, as it serves a dual purpose. The inventive device and method preferably include a barrier used to separate adjacent concrete slabs. This barrier is preferably erected in such a way that it allows a construction crew to continuously pour concrete in successive sections of a concrete structure, which prior to the current invention, could not be poured continuously. Previously, concrete sections were poured in an alternating fashion in order to create an expansion joint between each section of concrete. However, the current inventive method and device allows the crew to pour adjacent concrete sections while still creating an expansion joint between each concrete section.

Each concrete section barrier includes an upright surface and dowel sleeves. Prior to pouring concrete into each designated gap, which have been measured and sectioned off, dowel bars are inserted into each dowel sleeve. Then, each gap is filled with concrete in a manner that allows a crew to pour adjacent gaps. This is an improvement on the previous method, wherein alternating gaps are filled on a first day, and then the remaining gaps are filled on a second day.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, showing the concrete section barrier of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, showing a channel in which the concrete is to be poured.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view, showing the concrete section harrier inserted between two form walls.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view, showing the insertion of dowel bars into the concrete section barrier.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view, showing the pouring of concrete.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view, showing the concrete section barrier embedded in dried concrete sections.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view, showing an alternate embodiment of the section barrier of the present invention.

REFERENCE NUMERALS IN THE DRAWINGS 10 concrete section barrier 12 upright surface 14 dowel sleeve 16 ground 17 channel 18 form wall 19 form wall - barrier junction 20 first gap 21 chamfer 22 second gap 24 dowel bars 26 dowel sleeve opening 28 dowel sleeve centerline 30 concrete 32 junction or moment slab 34 first concrete slab 36 second concrete slab 38 keyway 40 mortise 42 tenon

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method and device for separating sections of concrete during construction of structures on or near a roadway. FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of the present concrete section barrier 10. Preferably, the concrete section barrier 10 comprises upright surface 12 and dowel sleeves 14. Concrete section barrier 10 serves two primary purposes. First, concrete section barrier 10 acts as a barrier between sections of concrete. As discussed in a previous section, many governing bodies require concrete structures to be poured in sections of concrete as opposed to a singular slab. Concrete section barrier 10 acts as the separator for those sections, whereby concrete can be poured on either side of concrete section barrier 10. Second, concrete section barrier 10 preferably creates an expansion joint between each section of concrete. The expansion joint allows each section of concrete to expand, contract, and for slight movements while decreasing the likelihood of cracking or damaging the concrete sections.

In one embodiment of the present invention, concrete section barrier 10 is fabricated using a molded plastic. A molded plastic material is capable of expansion and contraction. In addition, corrosion of molded plastic is less likely than with a metallic material such as steel or aluminum. However, it should be noted that molded plastic may be the preferred embodiment, there may be other suitable materials used for concrete section barrier 10. Some examples of suitable materials for barrier 10 are a composite, ceramic, coated steels, or another plastic material.

FIG. 2 shows the channel 17 prior to insertion of concrete section barrier 10. Preferably, channel 17 is bounded by ground 16 and two form walls 18. FIG. 3 shows a setup for a series of junction or moment slab sections with concrete section barrier 10 inserted at a specified location into channel 17, which allows barrier 10 to act as a separator for each section. Concrete section barrier 10 preferably separates channel 17 into first gap 20 and second gap 22, thereby allowing for full separation within the channel 17. The reader will note that the setup illustrated in FIG. 3 is shown prior to the pouring of concrete. Once the ground 16 has been properly conditioned (leveled, packed, etc.), form walls 18 are fixed in place as illustrated, thereby creating channel 17 (as shown in FIG. 2). Preferably, form walls 18 are positioned such that the walls are parallel to each other. In addition, the spacing between the two form walls 18 is preferably equal to the length of concrete section barrier 10, thereby allowing concrete section barrier 10 to effectively separate the two sections of concrete to be poured. Preferably, concrete section barrier 10 is held in place at the form wall-barrier junction 19. There are four form wall-barrier junctions 19 for each barrier 10 inserted (although only two are visible in the current view). The mechanism used to maintain barrier 10 in an upright position (as illustrated) can be any technique known in the art. One such method used to maintain barrier 10 in an upright position is shown. Chamfer 21 is preferably attached to barrier 10 and form wall 18 at each form wall-barrier junction 19 in order to maintain the desired position of concrete section barrier 10.

The reader will note that FIG. 3 only shows a single concrete section harrier 10. Therefore, the figure also only shows two gaps for concrete to be poured a first gap 20 and a second gap 22. However, there are multiple gaps and barriers 10 along a specified stretch where junction slabs (or other concrete structures) are to be constructed.

Prior to pouring concrete into first gap 20 and second gap 22, dowels 24 are preferably inserted into dowel sleeves 14. This is illustrated in FIG. 4. Each dowel sleeve 14 includes an extruded cylinder (located within second gap 22 in the figure) and a dowel sleeve opening 26 (located on the first gap 20 side of concrete section barrier 10). As indicated by the arrows at the edge of each dowel and dowel sleeve center lines 28, dowels 24 are preferably inserted into dowel sleeve opening 26. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, each dowel sleeve 14 is hollow in order to allow dowels 24 to be inserted.

Those familiar with the art will realize that the configuration shown in FIG. 4 demonstrates the expansion joint present while the present invention is in used. The concrete poured into first gap 20 adheres to dowels 24. Similarly, the concrete poured into second gap 22 adheres to dowel sleeves 14 not dowels 24. Thus, by maintaining the concrete in first gap 20 and second gap 22 separate, contraction or expansion of the concrete in first gap 20 will result in dowels 24 translating along dowel sleeve centerlines 28 within dowel sleeve opening 26.

FIG. 5 shows concrete section barrier 10 inserted between form walls 18, and with dowels 24 fully inserted into dowel sleeves 14. Once dowels 24 have been inserted into dowel sleeves 14, concrete section barrier 10 is preferably covered with expansion paper. As a result, the concrete bonds to the expansion paper as opposed to barrier 10. As demonstrated by the arrows in the figure, concrete 30 can now be poured. One preferred advantage of using concrete section barrier 10 in conjunction with dowel sleeves 14 and dowels 24 is that concrete 30 is poured successively (or even simultaneously if possible illustrated in the figure) along the sections of junction or moment slabs. Those familiar with the art will realize that there is an enormous cost, labor, and time advantage of pouring continuously without the need for skipping pours on adjacent sections. By allowing adjacent sections to be poured consecutively, as opposed to pouring alternating sections that are required to dry overnight, an enormous amount of time is saved during construction a single concrete dispenser is only required to make a single pass along the construction site as opposed to two separate passes. In addition, the prior art method required removing parts used to form the first section of concrete and applying felt paper and dowel sleeves after the first section has dried. The present inventive method eliminates this step of the process.

FIG. 6 shows two concrete junction and/or moment slabs 32 which have been poured and dried. The reader will note that dashed hidden lines are made visible in order to illustrate features which would not ordinarily be seen in the current view. The figure includes a first concrete slab 34 and a second concrete slab 36. Some preferred features of the invention are demonstrated in the figure. First, the concrete section barrier 10 located between first concrete slab 34 and second concrete slab 36 creates separation between the two slabs. Second, the center barrier 10 between the first slab 34 and the second slab 36 remains in place after the concrete has dried. In fact, each concrete section barrier 10 remains in place for the lifetime of the array of junction or moment slabs. Third, each junction or moment slab 32 includes a series of dowels 24 and dowel sleeves 14 which are embedded into the concrete of the slab. One way to achieve this is illustrated. Each barrier 10 is placed such that the dowel sleeves 14 are facing the upper right hand corner, as illustrated in the figure. This insures that each concrete slab 32 includes a series of dowels 24 and dowel sleeves 14 embedded into the slab 32, rather than each end of the slab 32 containing only dowels 24 or only dowel sleeves 14. Of course, the order could be reversed, whereby dowel sleeves 14 face the lower left hand side of the figure. The direction of the concrete section barriers 10 depends on the direction in which the concrete is poured.

FIG. 7 shows an alternate embodiment of concrete barrier 10 including a keyway 38 which can be used in the present method. Keyway 38 creates a mortise 40 and a tenon 42 in each successive concrete section. The embodiment illustrated creates interlocking sections of concrete by means of the mortise 40 and tenon 42 joint. The interlocking sections increase the strength of each expansion joint, especially when coupled with the dowel sleeves 14 and dowel bars 24 (not shown in the current figure). The reader will note that the addition of keyway 38 still allows the concrete structure to be constructed using a continuous pouring of adjacent sections. This embodiment simply increases the strength of the expansion joint created between each concrete section.

Those familiar with the art will realize that in addition to the previously mentioned applications, dowel sleeves 14 and dowels 24 act to maintain the alignment of junction/moment slabs 32. While translation along axis of the dowels/dowel sleeves is allowed, the dowels 24 and dowel sleeves 14 inhibit lateral (radially in reference to the dowels/sleeves) and vertical translation. Thus, each concrete slab 32 is capable of expanding and contracting in the axial direction.

The preceding description contains significant detail regarding the hovel aspects of the present invention. It should not be construed, however, as limiting the scope of the invention but rather as providing illustrations of the preferred embodiments of the invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should be fixed by the following claims, rather than by the examples given. 

1. A method for pouring consecutive concrete slabs using concrete comprising: a. providing a concrete section barrier having: i. a surface; and ii. at least one dowel sleeve; b. providing at least two form walls; c. fixing said at least two form walls in a position to form a channel; d inserting said concrete section barrier such that said concrete section barrier is capable of separating said channel into at least two gaps; e. maintaining said concrete section barrier in an upright position; f. providing at least one dowel; g. inserting said at least one dowel into said at least one dowel sleeve of said concrete section barrier; and h. pouring said concrete in said at least two gaps consecutively.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one dowel sleeve is further comprised of: a. an extruded cylinder; and b. a dowel sleeve opening.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said concrete barrier section is comprised of molded plastic.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said concrete barrier section is comprised of ceramic.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein said concrete barrier section is comprised of a composite.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said concrete barrier section is comprised of coated steel or any other rigid material.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein said form walls are fixed parallel to one another set apart a distance equal to the length of said concrete section barrier.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing said concrete to adhere to said at least one dowel in a first gap and said at least one dowel sleeve in a second gap, such that said concrete in said first gap and said concrete in said second gap are not fixed together.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein said at least one dowel is capable of translating within said at least one dowel sleeve upon said concrete expanding.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein said at least one dowel is capable of translating within said at least one dowel sleeve upon said concrete contracting.
 11. A method for pouring consecutive concrete slabs using concrete comprising: a. providing at least one concrete section barrier having: i. a surface; and ii. a plurality of dowel sleeves; b. providing at least two form walls; c. fixing said at least two form walls in an upright position to form a channel; d. inserting said at least one concrete section barrier such that said at least one concrete section barrier is capable of separating said channel into a plurality of gaps; e. maintaining said at least one concrete section barrier in an upright position by providing a chamfer attached to said at least one concrete section barrier and said form wall; f. providing a plurality of dowels; g. inserting said plurality of dowels into said plurality of dowel sleeves of said at least one concrete section barrier; and h. pouring said concrete in said at least two gaps prior to allowing said concrete to set.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein said plurality of dowel sleeves are further comprised of: a. a plurality of extruded cylinders; and b. a plurality of dowel sleeve openings.
 13. The method of claim 11 wherein said at east one concrete barrier section is comprised of a rigid material.
 14. The method of claim 11, further comprising covering said at least one concrete barrier section with a portion of expansion paper such that said concrete bonds to said portion of expansion paper when said concrete sets.
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein said at least one concrete barrier section further comprises a keyway having a mortise and a tenon.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising allowing said concrete to adhere to said keyway at said mortise and said tenon, thereby creating a mortise and tenon joint after said concrete sets.
 17. The method of claim 10, further comprising allowing said concrete to adhere to said at least one dowel in a first gap and said at least one dowel sleeve in a second gap, such that said concrete in said first gap and said concrete in said second gap are not fixed together.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein said at least one dowel is capable of translating within said at least one dowel sleeve upon said concrete movement.
 19. A method for pouring consecutive concrete slabs, using concrete, comprising: a. providing a plurality of concrete section barriers having: i. a surface; and ii. a plurality of dowel sleeves; b. providing at least two form walls; c. fixing said at least two form walls in a position to form a channel; d. inserting said plurality of concrete section barriers such that said plurality of concrete section barriers are capable of separating said channel into a plurality of consecutive gaps; e. maintaining said plurality of concrete section barriers in an upright position by providing a plurality of chamfers attached to said plurality of concrete section barriers and said at least two form walls; f. providing a plurality of dowels; g. inserting said plurality of dowels into said plurality of dowel sleeves of said plurality of concrete section barriers; and h. pouring said concrete in said plurality of consecutive gaps prior to allowing said concrete to set.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein said step of pouring said concrete further comprises pouring said concrete simultaneously into said plurality of consecutive gaps. 